Blue Mic’s new Icicle and subsequent discussion of alternatives like CEntrance’s MicPort Pro has generated some interest and chatter. Matej Isak sends over a review he did of the MicPort Pro:
CEntrance MicPort Pro review [Mono & Stereo]
CEntrance links to some other good reviews online on their product page. Highlights:
- Craig Anderton writes a detailed review for Harmony Central and in March did a short round-up of “fun stuff to plug into your USB bus.”
- Steve Fortner at Keyboard is quite fond of the thing.
- MusicTech gives it a perfect score, even though I’m always suspicious of perfect scores and, well, scores in general.
- Chris Breen likes it at Macworld, as does Joshua Topolsky for Engadget
So, there’s a round-up of people I know and like. I’m still sticking to a dedicated interface, at least until someone makes one of these that doubles as a standalone mic pre. (CEntrance, you listening? I’d even add a little bulk for that, honestly.) Interestingly, one commenter points out that while I didn’t like the lack of a headphone jack for direct monitoring, some people might prefer to listen through the host, so that keeps Blue’s offering in the running.
Certainly, to anyone who thought an XLR-to-USB mic pre wouldn’t appeal to anyone, this proves otherwise.
[…] CreateDigitalMusic, Peter has put together a post with reviews on an Icicle competitor that’s already in release, the CEntrance MicPortPro. For about just […]
[…] Icicle which I’ve reported about earlier is a similar idea. Create Digital Music has also recognized the similarities, and linked to several reviews of the CEntrance […]
I reviewed the X2U, the MicPort Pro, the Blue Icicle and the MXL Mic Mate for voice and instrument use. The X2U and Micport Pro were the best of the lot, nearly equal in sound quality. The X2U has the edge in usability, but the MicPort Pro does 24-bit audio. The full review with sound samples is here:
USB Mic Pre Shootout